New Brunswickers
are a creative people. In trying economic times, this creativity is paramount;
we need to address our social and economic challenges in a way that meets present
and future needs of the province

The difficulties of
the Greater Moncton Area are exemplary of social and economic tension. Currently,
the only English degree granting institution in the GMA is Crandall. I refrain
from calling them a university because of their compromised concepts of
academic freedom. They operate under Christian fundamentalist ideas requiring
that faculty have a personal faith in Jesus Christ, that one hold personal and
professional views that are consistent with the Bible and the university’s
Statement of Faith.[1] The
Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) concluded that Crandall’s concept
of academic freedom is “significantly inconsistent with that of the CAUT and
the majority of universities across the western world, and assurances that free
enquiry is still possible within its constraints are unconvincing.”[2]

Further, they have
a written policy prohibiting the hiring of queer faculty. Crandall is in no way a
public institution and should not receive public funding to inculcate hate in
our society.

Moncton has also
experienced the failure of Highfield Square. The once bustling mall is crumbling and taking up
space. Highfield’s redevelopment will be integral to the definition of the GMA
as a modern world-class small city.

All of the
redevelopment concepts presented by city council emphasized how the proximity
to the Moncton Central Train Station will be a driver for the complex’
continued success. That notion took a blow as Via announced a reduction in “The
Ocean” route between Montreal and Halifax. Present concern has many Monctonians
crying foul as they lose their weekend connection to Halifax.

We can do this New Brunswick; take
these 3 bad things and make an awesome thing. We can organize our resources effectively to
make Moncton an international example of small city living. Many things make the
GMA a great place to live, study, and do business. Moncton boasts: a bilingual
labour force, an accomplished French university, access to transportation, affordable
rents, and both career and community colleges. The GMA has one obvious deficit:
an English university. As noted, Crandall has an unflattering academic
reputation, which prohibits it from fulfilling the economic and cultural
potential of a university.

The development of South-Eastern New Brunswick must include an emphasis on Sackville’s Mount Alison University. One of the most respected undergraduate institutions in Canada, MTA is only 50 km from Moncton. Further,
Moncton and Sackville are connected directly by rail. While the Via Rail
service cut may be an inconvenience, it frees up a lot of rail time.

I’m suggesting the
development of a commuter train system in South Eastern New Brunswick extending
from the Greater Moncton International Airport to the Central Station near
Highfield Square, and to Sackville. This route has many strategic advantages; foremost,
connecting the airport to the downtown core is great for tourism. It will
also become increasingly valuable as a means of public transit as Dieppe
continues to grow.

Connecting
Sackville means integrating MTA’s world class English education into the urban
amenities of the GMA. This blend of urban and rural-academic lifestyles will attract
innovators and investors to the area. Further, the airport connection to the
downtown core and Sackville makes both Université de Moncton and Mount Allison
more accessible to international and out of province students studying in either of our official
languages.

I admit this sounds
expensive, but it’s not infeasible. Consider that the redevelopment of
Highfield is inevitable, and not connecting our air travellers to that
development would be regrettable. The rail to Sackville is not only built, it’s
becoming more available. Lastly, it would be entirely appropriate to reallocate
funds once earmarked for Crandall to Mount Allison and the development of a
South East railway. Seeing that since 1996 Crandall has regrettably received over $24 million[3]
in public money, we can make this happen.